Between Dec 19, 2024 and Jan 2, 2025, datasets can be submitted to DRUM but will not be processed until after the break. Staff will not be available to answer email during this period, and will not be able to provide DOIs until after Jan 2. If you are in need of a DOI during this period, consider Dryad or OpenICPSR. Submission responses to the UDC may also be delayed during this time.
 

Participatory satire? political humor, the Colbert Super PAC Project, and the colliding worlds of late night comedy and modern American politics

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Persistent link to this item

Statistics
View Statistics

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Title

Participatory satire? political humor, the Colbert Super PAC Project, and the colliding worlds of late night comedy and modern American politics

Published Date

2012-09

Publisher

Type

Thesis or Dissertation

Abstract

Late night humor and satire is playing an increasingly significant role within our culture and political landscape. Most recently, comedians Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have gone beyond the role satirists traditionally have played in skewering and making fun of politics -- and instead have started becoming prominent participants and activists within the political process itself. This dissertation closely examines the developments of the Colbert Super PAC project and investigates how Colbert's efforts have transformed the traditional role of political satire into something new and unique within the American political landscape. The research examines this phenomenon to gain an understanding of the motives and intent behind the Colbert Super PAC, as well as perceptions and understanding of this "participatory satire" among those within the journalism and campaign finance reform communities. Additionally the perspectives of several leading campaign election law experts are explored, along with analysis of media coverage focused on the Colbert Super PAC effort. Along with connections to existing theories within mass communication and political psychology, potential implications for this unique form of political humor within our democracy and future national political debates are discussed.

Description

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. September 2012. Major: Mass Communication. Advisor: Brian G. Southwell. 1 computer file (PDF); v, 265 pages, appendices A-B.

Related to

Replaces

License

Collections

Series/Report Number

Funding information

Isbn identifier

Doi identifier

Previously Published Citation

Other identifiers

Suggested citation

Gilkerson, Nathan David. (2012). Participatory satire? political humor, the Colbert Super PAC Project, and the colliding worlds of late night comedy and modern American politics. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/142345.

Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.